Happy Father's Day Quinn and Renney. You've Inherited 27 New Sons.

As a son I never really looked at Father's Day as anything special. Sure it was nice to appreciate my Dad, but I always kind of thought of it as a weekend in which I never really could figure out what to buy him for a present. After all, what do you get the man who already has everything?

When I became a father, and Dad's day rolled around; it was just nice to have my family with me and see how my child was growing up or how proud I was to be her Dad.

This Father's Day, I couldn't help but think of the Edmonton Oilers. A team of 27 players who inherited two new Dad's last month (in Pat Quinn and Tom Renney) and will have them for the upcoming 2009-2010 season to look up to, make proud and learn from, as they grow and mature. It's a lot like the relationship with me and my Dad with one major exception -- there will be no shopping for presents.

For Quinn and Renney, no better gift exists than that of a team full of underachieving, often unmotivated players growing and maturing into something these two coaches can be proud of. The likelihood, despite the same old false positive fan and management thinking that we'll land the big ticket free agent; is that Quinn and Renney will be left to find a way to make this similar team of 27 sons a winning team of 27 brothers.

Can they turn Robert Nillson, the skilled but inconsistent at best forward into a threat to produce night in and night out? Can they make the mountain of a man Dustin Penner the 30 goal, physical scorer he's supposed to be? Can they find a way to turn around Patrick O'Sullivan's poor start as an Oiler or Sam Gagner's traditionally poor start to each season?

While Quinn and Renney actually enjoy some well deserved time with their families and kids, perhaps a small part of them is thinking the same thing. Can we make these kids a better team? I suppose by next Father's Day, we'll have our answer. Happy Father's Day!